


The Sword Or The Brush

by taichara



Category: Yamada Monogatari - Richard Parks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-08-20 05:16:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8237422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taichara/pseuds/taichara
Summary: Lord Yamada takes on verses in a whole new fashion --





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kalloway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalloway/gifts).



Beneath the eaves of a run-down noble's estate, lights flickered and flared where no light belonged. Though the central shinden lay open to the elements, the wooden partitions yet stood strong; and it was these wooden blinds, these askew dividers, that danced with unnatural shadows cast by the gleaming blue of witchfire.

A cadet branch of the family had claimed the site. Two members of that family had died, bleeding from ears and eyes, otherwise untouched. All agreed the estate was surely controlled by yokai or worse ... which was where Lord Yamada entered the picture.

A day of preparations on the site turned up nothing. But, once the sun had set --

_I have dealt with inexplicable haunts before this. Fox demons, oni, ghosts of every infinite variation ..._

\-- Yamada no Goji paused his ruminations without missing a beat, just long enough to parry a flying wooden taboo tag that winged towards his skull like a flattened spearhead --

_... kappa, living ghosts, rogue kami, dog spirits ..._

\-- sourceless winds howled around the pair, tearing at their clothing, threatening to sweep dozens of carefully placed wards from the eastern wing's walls. Whatever they faced, they had succeeded in trapping it.

And were now trapped inside the pavilion with it --

_... but this? This has truly got to be the most unlikely source of spiritual disruption that I have ever heard of._

\-- inch by inch he crept closer to the target with Kenji hot on his heels; the monk's chanting was ever more fervent (if 'fervent' be the right word for anything Kenji did), his prayer beads rattled rhythmically in his hands --

_He'd best hope his blessing on my blade holds, or this is the end of both of us ..._

\-- there! With a wild cry, he lunged across the trembling pavilion, driving his sword between the very centre of the floorboards nearly up to the hilt as the decrepit wood shriveled away from the briefly-enchanted edge. He felt the blade strike something dense, piercing through it ...

... the windstorm ceased. The witchfires faded.

And Yamada no Goji pulled his sword blade back, bits of delicately-calligraphed paper still clinging to it. Dropping to one knee, he lifted shriveled flooring away; fishing around in the hollow below, he found the target and held it high. Kenji snorted.

"A pillow book?"

"A book of poetry, actually."

Lord Yamada's face twisted into a look of rueful amusement.

"And it seems that self-absorption will linger in the most inopportune ways possible.   
"Well, Inoue-no-kimi will have his name live on after all; but, alas, not as he hoped."


End file.
